A young father lies in intensive care fighting for life following a “devastating” car crash in which two of his close friends were killed.
Yousif Al-Mussawi, 26, from Maida Vale, was at the wheel of the BMW...Hmmm....
...when it veered off a dual-carriageway and hit a tree.Damn! I knew those self-driving cars would be a menace!
Anecdotally I have been informed that in some Muslim countries that driving skills are not high and that the number of vehicle accidents are very high. Apparently drivers in these countries believe that is not their skill that keeps them safe or not it is Allah. How true that is I do not know. Anyone having direct experience of this I would be interest to know their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI have lived worked and driven in several Muslim Arab countries. The anecdotes you have heard are correct. Further, many do not wear seat belts as that would be circumventing the will of Allah. There is a lethal combination of "I am more important than anyone else, these rules do not apply to me", lack of responsibility (everything is Allah's will), and a lack of self awareness ("I am a great driver."). Some might say that you can see the same on UK roads but take the worst you see here and multiply it by ten and you're getting close.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that struck me as odd was that the Arab cultural courtesy never seems to extend to the road. I used to fly into Heathrow after several months away, hire a car and hit the M25 at rush hour having not had much sleep on the flight, driving a strange car on the wrong side of the road, and it was bliss.
Well in fairness, suspension bushes on E46 (3 series) BMWs are almost a consumable item, so if the car was 15 years old it would be due replacements by now. A failure of a main bush or link would easily be enough to case the car to lose control.
ReplyDeleteAnd whilst the article doesn't say what kind of BMW was involved, or how fast it was travelling, you need to be a little careful before jumping to the conclusion that "young asian driver" + "BMW" = "moron driving too fast". It's not necessarily that simple.
How is the tree?
ReplyDelete"Well in fairness, suspension bushes on E46 (3 series) BMWs are almost a consumable item, so if the car was 15 years old it would be due replacements by now. A failure of a main bush or link would easily be enough to case the car to lose control."
ReplyDeleteEven more so if the MOT was done (or rather not done) by a co-religionist................
How true that is I do not know. Anyone having direct experience of this I would be interest to know their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteIt is very true. You see them haring down the road while reading the Koran, convinced Allah will protect them. Sometimes their kids are playing on the dashboard. Stay well out of their way.
One thing that struck me as odd was that the Arab cultural courtesy never seems to extend to the road.
ReplyDeleteI never saw any of that supposed Arab cultural courtesy in 3 years in the ME. Lots of arrogance and rudeness, though.
Today police said it was the tree's fault, as it had a record of being struck.
ReplyDelete"How true that is I do not know. "
ReplyDeleteThe 'enriched' areas of the UK would certainly seem to bear that out...
"Some might say that you can see the same on UK roads but take the worst you see here and multiply it by ten and you're getting close."
Bloody hell! It must be bad! The standard of driving I've seen is awful enough...
"A failure of a main bush or link would easily be enough to case the car to lose control."
Would that not be piucked up at a service? I know the garage checks my bushes... ;)
"How is the tree?"
ReplyDelete*chuckles*
"Even more so if the MOT was done (or rather not done) by a co-religionist..."
Ah! Good point!
"Sometimes their kids are playing on the dashboard. "
!!!